hi the k3 has a 8 band equalizer both on transmit and 
receive.  depending on how you want to sound on transmit and how you 
want to hear the receiver is all up to you.  the k3 has a tremendous 
flexibility so should make anybody happy.  take care, c u 73 mike w6quv
At 09:48 AM 8/23/2012, you wrote:
>I was talking to someone a week or so ago on 20 meters who has both and he
>says they're very very close performance wise. He was sighted so didn't
>speak for accessibility but performance wise on an A B comparison, he said
>they were very close if not equal.  He preferred the Kenwood because he said
>the audio was a touch better to him on receive and I agreed on transmit when
>he demonstrated. I can't speak for all setups, I don't have either one, but
>that was based on someone I worked who happened to have both.
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Butch Bussen" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2012 11:55 AM
>Subject: Re: Accessible Transceivers
>
>
> > Sounds great, but how much is a 100 watt k3 and how much is the hambot.
> > My 590 was $1600 as I erecall and the voice board around $70.  Other
> > than what talks and doesn't, have you set this rig side by side to say a
> > Kenwood 590?  Not saying it is better or worse, just curious.  I haven't
> > had my hands on a k3, so can't judge anything, but I do like the 590.
> > 73
> > Butch
> > WA0VJR
> > Node 3148
> > Wallace, ks.
> >
> >
> > On
> > Wed, 22 Aug 2012, Armand Bakalian wrote:
> >
> >> Greetings to All,
> >>
> >> Reviewing some of the message traffic on the list, I see a lively
> >> discussion about which rigs are more accessible for instance, the Kenwood
> >> TS2000, 480, 590, and some of the Icom radios, which in my opinion are
> >> limited in what they tell the operator.
> >>
> >> A week or so ago, I took the leap into the twenty-first century,
> >> when I purchased an Elecraft K3 transceiver. We know the reputation, and
> >> versatility, and expandability of the K3--why even some of the
> >> operators on this list have taken the plunge.
> >>
> >> In my humble opinion, after being a ham for forty-six years, there is
> >> no better combination than the Elecraft K3, and our own Rob
> >> Santello's Hampod. Kenwood, Icom, and lastly Yaesu, can't hope to
> >> hold a candle to what K6DQ has built, the Hampod K3 Reader.
> >>
> >> I seriously doubt that there isn't anything that the K3 Reader
> >> doesn't tell you about what the K3 is doing. Rob has even built in
> >> some macros that perform vital functions for blind ops, with a simple
> >> push
> >> of a button. Sighted folks don't get that kind of service from
> >> their visual display.
> >>
> >> Further, can you tell me which Kenwood rig will decode CW and PSK31, and
> >> and read it aloud to you? If there is one, I must have missed it.
> >>
> >> The elegance and cutting edge technology employed in the K3 is
> >> brought to life for the owner by the Hampod K3 Reader. I was amazed
> >> to find that the radio even has a temperature sensor in the front
> >> panel that can be queried by the Hampod, to tell you the ambient
> >> temperature. Now that's really slick. The K3 Reader which was developed
> >> by
> >> Rob, K6DQ over many months, and is still evolving is a labor of
> >> love from which we all can benefit. Rob hand-builds each unit, and,
> >> as some on this list can attest, he stands behind what he does, providing
> >> service that any larger company can't duplicate. It didn't work, and the
> >> owner had a brand new unit in his hands within less
> >> than a week, newly assembled and tested.
> >>
> >> Some may grumble that the Elecraft is expensive. In my opinion, the
> >> prospective owner can scale the radio to his budget. Limited funds,
> >> you can start small, and since the radio is modular in design and
> >> operation, you can add options to the radio as finances allow. Start out
> >> with the ten watt version of the K3, and see what it's like running
> >> QRP. When you have the bucks, you can add the watts, and any other
> >> options
> >> that are available.
> >>
> >> Sure, the K3 Reader doesn't cost what a VGS3 does, but it's not a
> >> VGS3 (hope I have that model right). The operator is not subject to
> >> the whims of Kenwood engineers who decide what's gonna talk, and what
> >> ain't. With the K3 Reader, if the radio shows it, the Hampod K3
> >> Reader says it. Ask a Hampod owner.
> >>
> >> So, if you want to cruise the bands in extraordinary style Elecraft
> >> and Hampod is a marriage of technology we can all appreciate.
> >>
> >> After exploring this rig for a few hours, I can't wait to learn the
> >> radio,
> >> and the K3 Reader. It'll take time, for both of these little boxes pack a
> >> lot of stuff inside. In the end, I know the investment
> >> will sure be worth it.
> >>
> >> So if you can swing the finances, go Elecraft and Hampod!
> >>
> >> Hear you on the air,
> >>
> >> Armand W B 2 Z E I, Sacramento
> >>
> >>